Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-07
COLONEL HENRY's LECTURE.
Interesting Facts About Indians and
Indian Campaj0us


Colonel Henrys lecture on indians and
Indian Campaigns" was given last night in
the chapter rooms under the cathedral. 1t
was very practical and interesting lecture,
and Colonel Henry evidently knew what he
was talking about--a familiarity with the
subject gained after personal experience of
nearly twenty years on the plains and among
the Indians Of Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New
Mexico and Indian Territory. He said the
Indian believes in two gods, the good and
the bad, and to propitate the good one, he
resorts to making what is called medicine by
mixture OF earths bones, etc, producing
certain combinations or coors to the Indian
known as "good or bad medicine'--in the
former case it is carefully kept on the per
son in bags of deer skin, in the latter buried
in ground. All Indians after death go to
paradise or the happy hunting grounds, ex-
Cept those who have been scalped or hung,
hence to avoid scalping, or TO scalp
as many Of the enemy as possible is a great
object. The soul escapes through the mouth
and by hanging it cannot cscape-hence this
manner of death is avoided by the Indian.
The Indian dances-particularly the cruel
''sun dance" is one of torture-where in
cissions are made in the breast, ropes passed
throus h and ends tied to supports from which
the Indian has to keep tense, were described.
This dance is for the purpose of trying the
metal of those who wish to be warriors. The
Indian house or tcpie mode OF travelling, llfe
in camp, trailing, sign language, etc, were
explained. Then came a varied description
of a winters march in the Black Hills at
forty degrees below zero, made in 1875 By
Colonel Henry and his command from Fort
Robinson, all being badly frozen and saved
only by coming upon ranch occupied by
squaw man. The Indian way of torturing,
stretching the victim on the ground,
one on'Hf foot then F' the ana other '0a',ndS and
then the heart--added certainly to keep the
hearers at least warm Grattan's massacre
which occurred at Fort Laramie and Fettcr-
mans al Pert PIN Kearney with Their at
tendant mutilations OF tie dead bodies were
broadly described. Captain Powel's fight
near Fort kearney, year after the above
massacre, resulted in the defeat OF large
force of Indians some 300 against our eighty,
our men were behind entrenchments, and
having been supplied with the trench trader
unknown to the Indians, resulted in their re-
pulse after each assault Colonel Forsythcs
encounter, and repulse Of Indians on the Re.
publican and the sufferings of his command
were detailed. General Crooks campaign
against the Sioux in 1875 and battle of Rose
Bud, then followed. This campaign broke
the power of the Sioux, under testing Bud.
The Indians numbered about l2,ooo, against
our 800, and only by stubborn bravery of
our soldiers could we hold our own. These
same Indians week later destroying Custer
and his command. AT this battle Colonel
Henry was shot through the face and his de-
scription of his being carried in mule litter
some eighty miles over rough country
once struck over face by jaw of rear mule,
then thrown out, then nearly washed out
when the mules had to swim river, then by
an eight days trip in wagon to Fort tetter.
man. then three days more to railroad, a total
distance of some 800 miles before he arrived
home all this time being blind, his face
fractured, 50 he had to be fed with broth
from spoon-showed as he said what officers
and soldiers are called upon to endure in
Indian campaigns unknown to the people,
and with some hesitancy he gave the above
as an illustration. The solution of the Indian
problem he said was TO give each Indian his
land, and make him farm it, and give him a
vote, and then the whites would take an in
terest in him, as they had done with the
negro The lecture lasted an hour and was
full of vivid interest to all.
The lecture was the second in the course OF
1SS1-S under the auspices of the Trinity cathe-
dral chapter of st. Andrews brotherhood,
the first having been delivered by DIR. Miller.
The next lecture will be by Captain Ray,
who will detail will detail some Of his Arctic
experiences.